


Pure Feeling

by TechnoSkittles



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Family, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Catra is Puerto Rican in this AU, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Glimmer is Filipino, In fact it's safe to assume she'll be Puerto Rican in almost any AU I do, Mara is Adora's daughter in this AU, and by that I mean I legit haven't found one and I'm APPALLED, family au, so will add more tags and characters as I figure out where they fit into the story, still figuring out some things here and there, the cliche family au we've all been waiting for, unless I say otherwise, we're bringing in all the cliche tropes here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2019-10-31 05:58:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17843750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TechnoSkittles/pseuds/TechnoSkittles
Summary: A lot can happen in eight years. There's even more than can happen in just five.Getting over your crush from high school would not be one of them apparently. Something that Catra is quick to discover during one incidental shopping trip on a sluggish spring afternoon. All in one moment, she's spiraling again, memories of heartbreak, betrayal, and unconditional love hitting her with the force of a typhoon.A typhoon named Mara.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a little surprised this idea hadn't been done yet so of course I gotta do it. 
> 
> Updates are probably gonna be kinda slow for this. Just a fair warning.

_She should really just tell her. Before it's too late._

_But here she sits, silent and waiting, waiting for a moment she isn't sure she's ready to grasp._

_Adora sits next to her, drumming her fingers on her lap as she waits for the rest of her family to finish rearranging all of her belongings into their car. Her dad is grumbling to himself, taking out boxes and twisting around others, before sighing and starting over completely. They had been helping him just half an hour ago, but eventually saw that he was so wrapped up in his own way of doing it they decided to just back off and sit on the front porch._

" _When do you leave?" she asks, tugging her fingers through her ponytail._

_Catra shrugs and leans forward, dropping her head on her hands. "Our semester starts two weeks after yours, so I'm not leaving until next week." A twist in her stomach reminds her that it'll be a lonely week with Adora so far away._

_She considers and regrets for the millionth time, wishing she had kept up her grades a lot better so that maybe she could chase Adora to Brightmoon University together. But the past was the past. She hadn't. And now they were attending different colleges._

" _I'll call once I get unpacked," Adora offers and Catra smiles, nudging her shoulder with her knuckles._

" _You better." It wouldn't be the same though. They both know that._

Tell her how you feel.

_Catra grimaces and peers out beyond the shadowed porch, squinting against the sun. It wouldn't change anything. But…_

" _Hey Adora?"_

_Her friend perks up beside her, giving a little hum._

_Catra makes the mistake of looking over. She sees the sparkle in her eyes, her sunkissed cheeks from two many hours at the lifeguard station they both worked at, her sloping jaw and cut collarbone peeking out from her camisole. She eyes those pink lips, recalling all the times she'd dreamed of kissing them senseless, playing with the idea of how they would taste._

_She can't. Not like this._

_So she shakes her head and mumbles something about hanging out over Thanksgiving break, her attention already past the porch again, watching Adora's dad close the trunk of the car._

_And misses the way that Adora deflates entirely._

_The next few minutes are a blur of the rest of Adora's family gathering their last belongings and getting settled into the car._

_Her and Adora linger at the bottom of the porch steps, encased in each others' arms, holding tight and reluctant to let go._

" _I'll call you," Adora promises again._

_And Catra smiles, biting down the ache her cowardice has cost her. "Don't have too much fun without me."_

_Then she watches Adora get into the car which pulls out of the driveway only seconds later, leaving her behind._

* * *

Catra trudges through the automatic doors of the grocery store, sighing at the immediate relief that the A/C provides against the summer heat. One of the employees greets her to which she gives a half-hearted response, focusing instead on gathering up one of the carry baskets. She shuffles further into the store, mind slowly running over her mental list of things to get so she can go home and nap.

She decides to grab some snacks in preparation of the late nights she knows she's about to have. Things that will sustain her just enough to get through her oversized workload she'd just been dumped with. A few bags of chips. Some crackers and cookies.

Then, in an attempt to actually acquire  _real_  food, she heads over to the soup aisle, knowing that soups and instant noodles will be the only things she'll have any energy to prepare with her long hours.

She's browsing through the vast selection of soup, grimacing at some of the choices and idly considering others when a voice brings her out of her hazy, half-dead stupor.

"Catra? Is that you?"

Eight years - well, five technically - and she still could recognize that voice in an instant.

With wide, startled eyes Catra tears her attention away from the store display and immediately locks on a face she had convinced herself she'd never see again.

Adora is standing there behind a cart which is half-full of a multitude of food items. Her hair is out of its signature ponytail that she remembers from high school and their early college years, but is still pulled back on either side with the rest cascading down her shoulders. Catra takes a moment to marvel at how long it's gotten - nearly down to her waist. The opposite of her own hair that was now cut off just at chin-level.

Gone was the skinny girl from their teen years. She'd filled out a bit more, mostly in the hips it would seem, but she still has the same leanness about her that tells Catra she is still keeping herself in shape. Maybe better than before.

Her face is softer though, if looking a little worn down and ragged. There's a slight sunkenness to her eyes that tells of late nights, but honestly Catra is much the same in that department.

Words fail her for a long moment to the point that she begins to feel awkward. Panicking, she offers a shaky smile and hopes that Adora doesn't notice.

"Hey Adora."

 _Stupid_. Five years since she's last talked to her best friend of nearly twenty years (and crush for nearly half that time) and all she can say is " _hey Adora"_?

Catra isn't sure about the interdimensional properties of the grocery market, but she hopes that somehow the floor tiles have the ability to swallow her up and save her from this whole situation.

Instead it's Adora who saves her with a mirthful laugh. Catra's back stiffens and her heart does a thing and wow she's really missed hearing that laugh. Those eyes, which had previously been looking at her with a film of disbelief and shock, are so fond and warm now and Catra can't help but feel like she's seventeen again, basking in her best friend's presence before they both had to leave.

"God it's been…" She pauses, eyes rolling up briefly to try and calculate the years. "Forever!" she finally settles on.

"Yeah, well, adult life really does stretch on, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." Her voice is quiet and the conversation abruptly halts and Catra panics again because what does one  _do_  in situations like these? She considers leaving, walking off and going about her life just as she had the past four years without Adora. But the thought doesn't settle right and Catra realizes that she's just missed her so much.

It wasn't either of their faults really, even if Catra had pushed most of the blame onto Adora initially. College life was crazy. Classes were demanding. They both had met new people and soon enough they had just...drifted apart. Phones calls were fewer and further between. Breaks came and went and though they'd always tried to make plans to meet up, they always fell through.

By each of their junior years, they'd just stopped trying altogether.

Catra had always been resentful about the break. She'd been angry and upset that her best friend since childhood had just abandoned her without a thought. But with time and age, she had come to terms that these things just...happen. She was just as responsible for their rift as Adora was. When Adora began to drift away, she hardly reached out.

But now, here she stands in front of her best friend, years later. Is this a second chance? An opportunity to fix things and pick up where they had left off?

Catra nervously taps her toe on the floor, realizing she doesn't know where to begin. "Um, so what are you-"

"Mommy! Mommy!"

They both freeze and in the next couple of seconds, a small girl - no older than the age of four - came trotting up between them, clutching a packet of cookies to her chest. A wide grin is plastered on her face and she's bouncing in place as if unable to contain the boundless excitement bursting inside. Which, would make sense honestly, given she was so  _tiny_.

She stops in front of Adora and stretches out her arms to show off the package. Catra takes that moment to notice her blonde hair tucked into two neat pigtails. Adora tears her gaze away from Catra to look down at the little girl and frowns when she sees what she's holding.

"Mommy can I  _pleeeease_ , please, please get this?"

Adora sighs and plucks the packet out of the little girl's hands, her bouncing failing to cease, and turns it over to examine it. "Mara you already got your one sweet thing," she says exasperated.

The little girl - Mara - scrunches up her nose and Catra is  _floored_  by the familiarity of it. By this whole situation really. One twist after another.

So much for a simple grocery trip.

Mara is pouting now, her big eyes wide and shimmering with rejection. "Bu' I waaaaant it!"

Adora hands back the cookies and smooths a hand over the top of Mara's head. "Next time, okay? Now go put them back."

When Mara looks ready to argue back, a stern look crosses Adora's face. "Put them back or you don't get  _anything_."

Her ultimatum springs Mara into action even though she does  _not_  look happy about it in the slightest. With a final pout she runs off back down the aisle and Adora watches her go with a sigh, not turning back until Mara's rounded the corner out of sight.

When her gaze returns to Catra, she's met with wide eyes and a slack jaw. She straightens up immediately, a pink tint to her cheeks and now  _she's_  the one looking skittish.

Catra closes her mouth and blinks rapidly, trying to run and catch up to all that had transpired before her. "Um...so you...you, uh….have a kid now?"

A wave of guilt and shame plays across Adora's face before she ducks her head down, pushing aside some of the items in her cart. "Yeah."

Catra nods and clears her throat. "So...you got married?" Her voice feels like gravel in her throat and  _fuck_  was she really dumb. She really should've known better.

At this Adora's head whips back up, eyes alarmed. "What? No! Oh  _god_  no!" When she sees Catra's apparent confusion, she sighs again and leans against the cart as if suddenly weighed down. "It's a long story."

Catra bites her lip and before she can think better of it, "I've got time."

Adora stares blankly at her and she scrambles. "I mean, not  _right now_  but like...later."

"Later?" Adora parrots and there's something in her eyes that Catra's too flustered to interpret at the moment.

Instead she says lamely, "Yeah. Later."

It's silent for a few moments. Enough time for Catra to convince herself that she's royally screwed this up. She's about to back out of the aisle, soup forgotten in favor of surgically extracting her foot from her mouth, when Adora smiles at her - weary but genuine and so full of warmth that Catra wonders where the A/C went.

"That...sounds really nice actually."

A rush of relief courses through Catra's system and she feels herself deflate, worn out from such a simple conversation. "Awesome, yeah. Um…" She digs through her pocket and pulls out her phone, extending it out to Adora. "I'll need your number again. I kind of changed numbers." Kind of? You either did or you didn't.  _Hell_ , she was really a fumbling idiot.

But Adora doesn't - thankfully - comment on this. Instead she takes the phone, typing away for a few short seconds before handing it back. "There. I texted myself so I could have your number too."

Catra smiles and gears up to say something else - what? She has no idea because she isn't planning  _any_  of this out - when Mara comes running back up to Adora, hands empty this time around. She's jabbering away about something as she does and continues on even when Adora picks her up and props her on her hip.

"Mara," Adora cuts in and, obediently, she's silent. "I want you to meet someone." And then she looks at Catra and for some reason, she feels panic set in again. Like stage fright or something. Mara looks over at her too, round cheeks puffed out and eyes curiously looking and Catra feels like  _screaming_.

"Mara, this is Catra. One of Mommy's  _bestest_ friends." Her thumb strokes Mara's upper arm and in a more level voice she addresses her next. "Catra, this is Mara - my daughter."

Awkwardly she waves at Mara and offers out a squeaky "Hi" then internally winces. But the girl doesn't acknowledge, probably isn't even aware, as she squints her eyes at Catra, scrutinizing her. Again, the action is so familiar that it nearly causes Catra pain and if there was any doubt before, it's gone now.

Then Mara's pointing at her. "Your eyes are differen' colors."

"Mara!"

Ignoring Adora's outburst, she smiles, so bright and wide. A look so pure that it actually melts Catra's heart into mush.

"I like 'em!"

She's surprised at first, but then lets loose a good-natured chuckle. "Thanks, kid." She passes a brief glance at Adora who still looks mildly upset at Mara's bluntness. "Your mom said the same thing when we met as kids."

The soft look that Adora gives her takes her already melted heart and obliterates it.

"Well we should probably get going," Adora declares. "It's a school night after all."

Then, with the dramatic flair of a professional thespian, Mara rolls her eyes back and slumps in Adora's grip, letting out a long, drawn out groan. Both of the older women chuckle and exchange short goodbyes before Adora rushes down the aisle, still carrying Mara. Catra turns to watch them leave and is greeted with a giggling and waving Mara.

"Byyyyyye, Mommy's fren'!"

Catra plasters on an exaggerated smile and waves back, but softens when Adora flashes her one last smile before they turn the corner.

Minutes later, she's still standing there, looking at the place they'd both disappeared, groceries forgotten. Eventually, she manages to shake herself and goes back to browsing the soups, dumping a few in her basket before heading towards self-checkout.

Maybe this week wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tonight is a night for reminiscing, yearning, and....vodka?
> 
> After 5 years of zero contact, Adora and Catra decide to play catch up. Some things have changed. Others....not so much.

Adora's fingers fiddle with the edges of her phone. Her heart thrums in the deep recesses of her chest, almost lost in the percussion of the song blasting on the club speakers. The condensation from her glass drips onto the lacquered counter and she watches it with an intensity of someone trying to avoid any and all eye contact.

Next to her sits Catra drumming her nails in tandem against her own glass. Head propped in her hand and eyes lazily drifting across the sea of bodies littering the dance floor, she seems unaware or unconcerned with the awkwardness permeating the air between them. Or maybe she was even  _reveling_  in it. Deriving some form of entertainment from watching Adora squirm.

Adora fiddles with her phone again. As nonchalantly as possible, she unlocks her screen and scrolls through her messenger app. Finds Glimmer's name. Contemplates typing out a message.

_I need out._

But then Catra looks over at her, eyes piercing and ripping before dropping down to Adora's phone. In a guilty panic, Adora turns off the screen again and gulps down some water.

She knew this would all be a horrible idea.

* * *

"Mara! Tita Glim Glim is going to be here  _very soon_  and you  _still_  haven't cleaned up the kitchen table like I asked you to!"

A distant groan from further into the small apartment is the only response that Adora receives. She's about to march into Mara's room to drag her out with threats of moving her bedtime up an hour when the doorbell rings. The same time she turns to look at the door she hears the little pitter patter of feet accompanied by a high pitched squeal.

Adora watches her daughter with a exasperated smile and amused chuckle as the tiny toddler strains to unlock the top lock of the door. She balances on her tiptoes and wriggles her fingers, flexing them into fists and stretching as if somehow hoping to achieve the impossible. After a few seconds of watching Mara struggle, Adora finally walks over to assist in unlocking the door and allows Mara to do the honors of opening it herself.

Standing in the hallway is Glimmer who immediately brightens upon seeing Mara - disheveled and stained overalls with no shirt underneath and all. She bends her knees and opens up her arms, catching Mara as she leaps into her arms.

"Lil' Sprite!"

"Tita Glim Glim!"

Adora smiles at the exaggerated reunion as the two cling to each other and Glimmer lifts Mara up to prop her on her hip. "Thanks again for agreeing to watch her."

Glimmer looks to Adora with a smile and bounces Mara on her hip to readjust her as she walks into the apartment. "Of course. Though you know Bow is moping because he picked up that extra shift and is missing out now." She waggles her eyebrows. "Although I'm sure he'll get his chance to babysit if tonight goes well?" Her voice did little to mask the heavy insinuation laced into it.

"Glimmer I  _told_  you, this isn't….it's not  _like that_!"

"I think that'd be a little easier to believe if you weren't so dressed up." Her eyes trail up and down Adora's outfit with a raised eyebrow for emphasis.

Adora groans and looks down at her dress, running her hands down the fabric, picking at invisible stray threads and imaginary specks of lint. "I knew this was too much. I should change." Her teeth worries the bottom of her lip, not being mindful of the lipstick she had just applied minutes before Glimmer's arrival. "Yeah. I'm changing. I look ridiculous."

Glimmer rolls her eyes and lets Mara crawl out of her arms back to the floor, her squirming making her increasingly difficult to hold. Once back on solid ground, Mara tugs on the bottom of Glimmer's shorts, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Tita Glim Glim! Wanna see what I did in arts an' crafts today?"

Changing gears quickly and putting her hands on her knees to be more level with Mara, Glimmer offers up a big smile and ruffles her hair, messing up her already lopsided ponytail. "Abso-freaking-lutely!"

Mara holds up a finger, a silent signal to wait, before she runs off down the hall to her room to fetch her project.

As soon as she's gone, Glimmer straightens up and smiles assuringly at Adora. "Hun, you look  _gorgeous_. Don't freak, okay? I'm sure you'll be fine tonight."

When Adora still doesn't look convinced, Glimmer sighs and steps over to Adora, subverting a strewn toy on the kitchen floor and grabbing both of Adora's arms. "Adora? Seriously? You're gonna be okay. I mean, you guys  _were_  best friends for like, all your lives, right?"

Adora shrugs off her grip and takes a step back, turning and busying herself with collecting haphazard crayon drawings on the kitchen table and stacking them together. "Yeah. Keyword is 'were'. We haven't seen each other in over five years." And it was all her fault, but she doesn't tack on that detail. "I'm sure she's mad at me or hates my guts."

Glimmer crosses her arms, a look of skepticism crossing her features. "Isn't she the one who invited you out for drinks?"

Pausing, Adora looks up and bites the inside of her cheek. "Yeah but…"

"But…?"

"Shut up."

When Glimmer shoots her a smug look, Adora sticks out her tongue which receives a dry "yeah,  _real_  mature" before she turns back to straightening up the kitchen table, grabbing loose crayons by the handful and tossing them into the bucket with the rest. "Look, Catra's….complicated. She's never been straightforward with her feelings or intentions. We used to be close enough that I was able to read her most times but now…" Adora lifts the bucket and stares sadly into it, mind drifting away into a sea of memories. Simpler times. Easier times. "We haven't talked in so long. I think I forgot how to do that. So now I'm not sure we can connect like we used to."

There's a moment of saturated silence which allows Adora to soak in her nostalgia and doubt before Glimmer sighs and walks over to lean her elbows on the table, one foot tucked behind the other. "She's probably just as razzled by this as you are. I mean, after all, you have a  _kid_  now. That's, like, a huge part of your life she knows nothing about."

Adora slumps and groans again, throwing her head back. She begins to run her hands through her hair, only halting mid-way when she remembers that it had taken her nearly fifteen minutes of fighting with it to get it to stay like it was. Withdrawing her fingers she leans against the table so that she's nearly sitting on top of it, setting down the bucket of crayons with a tad more force than necessary. "Yeah and then there's  _that_  whole thing."

"What? Are you embarrassed of your own daughter?"

Immediately Adora whips her head up, eyes wide with a mixture of shock and disbelief before her features harden and she frowns. "No! Of course not! Just...she's going to want to ask a lot of questions." When Glimmer gives her a look that conveys "well  _duh_ " she shakes her head and grips the edge of the table. Her bare heel scuffs at the plastic tiled floor. "I don't know….I'm not ready to tell her everything that happened."

"So just tell her that."

Adora throws her hands up and jumps to her feet, nearly screeching in frustration. "Then she'll get upset because even after all this time, all these years of not talking to her, she's going to think…. _ugh!_  I don't know! If I  _don't_  tell her then she'll think I'm...it'll make things worse!"

"If you two were as close as you've told Bow and I countless times, I'm sure she'll understand?" There's a hint of exasperation to her tone. The more rational part of Adora's brain peeps up that she's right to feel so frustrated with Adora's anxiety because everything she's saying makes sense. But the much stronger sense of nausea and nervousness latches onto her steadfastly and she continues to spiral down into worse-case scenarios.

"And what if she doesn't? Or what if this whole thing is some drawn-out and convoluted plan to catch me off my guard so she can yell at me for abandoning her?"

Glimmer quirks an eyebrow and props her hip against the kitchen table. "You really think that she's petty enough to do something like that? C'mon, Adora. It's been  _years_. I'm sure she just misses you."

The rest of Glimmer's words are lost on Adora, however. "Oh god. That's exactly what she's doing. She's going to tear into me like wet paper and honestly? I think I deserve it."

Glimmer rolls her eyes and ticks off a finger. "Okay, first? Way to have faith in your best friend. And second," she ticks off another finger, "Way to have confidence in yourself. Adora...people grow apart sometimes. I mean, you remember that one time me and Bow drifted apart for awhile sophomore year?"

"You guys stopped talking for a total of five hours because he didn't respond to a text you sent. Which, by the way, you forgot to hit the send button so it was all just a huge misunderstanding," Adora deadpans.

"You get the point!"

When Adora still doesn't look convinced, Glimmer sighs. "Look, Adora, I don't know what else to tell you. If you're really that worried you can always not go, but I don't see how that's going to make things better for either of you."

As Adora turns over Glimmer's words in her head, tossing them about internally and considering the pros and cons of staying home and forgetting the whole thing, Mara comes running back into the kitchen. Clutched in her hands is some paper and string concoction coated in an abundance of glitter. Adora internally winces, knowing that she'll be finding glitter wedged into her carpet and scattered about the laminated kitchen floor for what would be weeks.

"Look! Look!" She skids to a stop in front of Glimmer who bends down to take a closer look. "It's a fairy soldier!"

Glimmer gasps and tenderly plucks the paper figure from Mara's hands, turning it over and eyeing it carefully. "A fairy soldier?" she parrots.

Mara nods enthusiastically. "Yeah! She has a magic staff that she hits people with!"

"I can see that! She looks so tough!" Then Glimmer makes a face, something that Adora thinks makes her look constipated but Mara giggles delighted, hands already reaching for her creation again.

Adora smoothes her hands down the front of her dress again, sighing with a sense of resignation before turning back to her bedroom. "I'm going to change."

This catches Glimmer's attention who straightens up with a disapproving frown that Adora misses. "Adora…"

Adora waves over her shoulder dismissively, shutting down whatever argument her friend is about to make. "I'm still going. I just want to change into something more...practical." And then she disappears into her bedroom, leaving Glimmer to be bombarded with stories about Mara's day at preschool.

* * *

The bar that Catra had selected was a sleek-and-chic type of place, something more suited for a young crowd whose concerns laid more in what they thought was trendy. The layout is spacious and open, a large area cut out to the side for a dance floor that looks up to the raised platform where live performers - mostly DJs - could set up. The furniture is modern to the point of near dysfunction. The lighting is dim, allowing for the color-changing lights that are wrapped around the ceiling edges to glow. The same lights line the underneath of the bar on the opposite side of the room, accented with more uncomfortable-looking chairs and adorned with a full wall of liquor bottles that look almost more like decor rather than to actually mix drinks.

It's Friday, but the night is still young enough that the space seems mostly empty, save for a few patrons scattered about the entire establishment. They're clustered together in hordes, dressed in club-style clothing - dresses that clung, pants that hung, shirts halfway unbuttoned, and tops that could be barely considered as such. Adora tugs self-consciously on her blazer, feeling vastly over and underdressed all at once. She suddenly isn't sure if changing had been for the best or not.

A low synthetic beat plays on the overhead speakers installed higher up on all the walls, a placeholder until a live performer that is scheduled to perform for the night surely. Adora's lips twist at the music choice, unfamiliar with it and overly not impressed.

Within just seconds of standing near the entrance of the bar, Adora decides it's not a place she'd want to return to. Her opinion might have been different back in her early college years. This might've been the  _exact_  sort of place she would have spent her weekend nights, dancing the night away, downing drinks without abandon, losing herself in a loud and boisterous atmosphere without thought to the future morning that promised a wicked hangover.

Maybe having a kid had changed her more than she had thought.

Putting all those thoughts aside, Adora scans the area more carefully, looking for a distinctive bob of dark curls whilst also trying to not seem too out-of-place in the foreign atmosphere. It may have only been five years since she's been absent from this scene, but all of a sudden it feels like ages. There's a slight twinge of nostalgia in her chest that she bats away quickly, knowing that it really is for the better that she had given all this up.

Not that she had much of a choice but….

Responsibility is kind of a bitch.

Luckily, her eyes land on the person she's looking for. Seated at the bar is her long absent best friend, sipping delicately from a tall glass of water. On the counter is a smaller glass filled with something that is a toxic green color, topped off with a couple of cherries. Her outfit is actually sort of similar to what some of the other people in there are wearing: a deep red turtleneck, sleeveless crop top; distressed maroon jeans; knee-high laced boots; fingerless leather gloves; and a leather jacket draped over the back of her chair. Another pang of nostalgia shoots through Adora, this one more bittersweet.

Chopped hair aside, Catra hardly looks like she's changed. Like no time has passed at all.

Though her brain is still whirling with indecisiveness, considerations of turning and leaving and keeping the past in the past plaguing her thoughts, her feet move forward. Soon enough she's sliding onto one of the empty bar stools next to Catra and places her things on the counter.

Catra looks up from her drink and Adora's heart stops.

"Um, hi," she chokes out.

Mismatched eyes look her up and down, assessing her in just under a second but Adora lingers on the motion, feeling suddenly self-conscious again. As if she expects Catra to turn her away or, worse, realize she'd made some sort of mistake.

But then she smirks, a motion without malice, and Adora can breathe again.

"Hey Adora."

Scratch that.

Catra's smirk widens. "You're late."

With a scoff and roll of her eyes, Adora powers on her phone screen, tilting it so that Catra could see. "Only by fifteen minutes."

Catra raises a single eyebrow and takes a languid sip of her drink. "' _Only'_  fifteen minutes? Big words coming from the Punctuality Princess."

Adora scrunches her nose and twists her mouth into a grimace.  _That_  nickname again. Some things really didn't change. "Yeah, well, you try having an uncooperative toddler and still make it anywhere on time."

As soon as the words were out, Adora realizes it was the wrong thing to say. She had been planning on avoiding the elephant in the room for as long as she possibly could. Bringing it up would only bring on an onslaught of questions, dredging up painful histories, diving into why's and how's. Sure, it isn't something she could skirt around forever, but she'd been hoping that it was something that wouldn't be out in the open so soon.

But of course. Her and her  _stupidly big_  mouth…

Catra's lips are pressed into a fine line, eyes only peeking out from the corner as she struggles not to look too interested. Adora can practically sense the restraint that Catra was practicing, the thousands of questions running over her eyes as she swirled her glass, sloshing the drink inside around the ice cubes. Desperate for a distraction, Adora tugs the menu in front of Catra closer to herself, exaggerating her interest in the different cocktail concoctions listed.

"So what's good here?"

From her peripheral vision, she sees Catra shrug before setting her own glass down to stir the contents with her straw. "Not really sure. First time here." She taps her nail on the side of her glass. "This ain't half bad though."

Peeking over her menu, Adora leans closer. "Which is…?"

And then Catra's in her space, manicured nail trailing down the menu before tapping one of the selections. "The 'Rum Pum Punch'," she quotes. "Real fruity though. Heavy on the rum. Dunno if it'd be your thing."

Adora purses her lips. "What's  _that_  supposed to mean? Are you assuming I can't handle my liquor?"

Catra gives her this look that screams "obviously". "Adora, we went to a party once and you got wrecked on a Mike's Hard. Just a single one."

Crossing her arms, Adora struggles not to look too pouty. "I went to college just the same as you."

A short laugh. Wide eyes and raised eyebrows. The most incredulous look that Adora's ever been on the receiving end of (and she went through her senior year of college pregnant so that was really saying something). "I promise you, our college experiences were nothing alike." Then she downs the rest of her drink and firmly plants it back on the bar counter.

There's a part of Adora that knows that Catra's just teasing. After they'd lost touch with one another, their lives had splintered off in different directions. There was so much that Adora didn't know about Catra anymore just as there was so much that Catra didn't know about her. Even when they had still been talking it was so few and far between, short conversations that could hardly qualify as such because they'd been reduced to questions like "how're classes?" and "how are you holding up?"

So Adora really didn't know what Catra had been up to while at college. They never talked about their weekends out. Hardly talked about the new friends each had made. Besides the occasional question with a clipped answer they'd exchanged in the free moments they'd remembered the other girl, there really was so much that neither knew about the other's life.

Logically, Adora knows all this. And that Catra's merely commenting on that. But somehow, there's something within her tone that sounds accusatory. Like Catra might still blame her. That she might still be upset, after all these years. And Adora can't find a single reason why she shouldn't be.

And then there's the part that sounds mocking. " _I promise you, our college experiences were_ nothing  _alike._ "

Adora glances around the club, a place so foreign and a scene so nostalgic, distant despite the short passage of time since she'd last been in one. All the night outs she'd had to give up. Parties skipped out to catch up on homework and studying from skipped classes. Miserable mornings spent clutching the porcelain of her toilet. The stares she got walking around campus. Hiding out in her apartment whenever she didn't have class because she couldn't take the judgment anymore. Teachers, for all their show of being accommodating, relentless and suggesting she drop for the semester, implying that they didn't think she was  _capable_.

When Adora checks back in, Catra is giving a new order to the bartender. After she's done the bartender looks at her expectantly. To her side Catra has this grin about her, one that Adora can't decipher in her haze of thoughts, but all she knows in that moment is the need to prove something.

Taking one last parsing glance at the menu, Adora orders the first thing that sounds familiar. "A screwdriver please."

With a nod, the bartender turns her back on them to gather up the ingredients for their drinks. Adora hears a low whistle and looks over to Catra who actually seems somewhat pleasantly surprised. "Vodka? Going hard so early?"

"You'd be surprised what I can handle." There's a slight bite to her tone and she winces. None of it was Catra's fault. She didn't even  _know_. But there was still this ever-present need to prove people wrong. To prove that that was more than capable of what people gave her credit for.

Catra's giving her another look. Her eyes on locked onto her, analyzing her inch for inch, and when they reach her gaze, there's something behind them that she can't quite place. It's soft. It's guarded. It's understanding. It's lost.

Adora has never been one to handle being under such scrutiny well so she casts her gaze away just as Catra murmurs out something. The music is too loud, so she misses it entirely and when she asks for Catra to repeat whatever it is she said, she only receives a head shake in response. Just before she can push further, there's a smirk pulling at Catra's lips and she gestures lazily with a wave towards Adora.

"So what's with the adult version of your old high school look? Trying to impress me?"

Adora frowns and looks down at her clothes: brown slacks coupled with red flats, a loose white button down topped off with her red work blazer. She'd chosen something that looked nice enough to wear out that wasn't as over-the-top as the dress she'd been wearing before. "What do you mean?"

"Really, Adora? You look like a fancier you from high school. Remember that red bomber jacket you wore, like, every day? And those poor beaten red converse? I could actually hear their cries of agony with every step you took."

Adora purses her lips, still struggling to make the connection. "Yeah, well, you still look like you're skipping fourth period underneath the bleachers."

Catra laughs lowly. "Okay first, I didn't  _skip_. I just got there later than everyone else. And second, these  _are_ my clothes from high school." She takes a sip of water and tugs on the bottom of her shirt. "Never grew out of 'em."

Adora bites her lip. "Must be nice."

Again, she realizes her slip a second too late. Thankfully, before Catra can press her for further clarification, the bartender arrives with their drinks and Adora uses the opportunity to change the topic.

"So what are you up to nowadays?" It's a simple question, so simple it's almost cringeworthy. But it takes the focus off of her for the time being, something she could really use to collect her thoughts and composure. Besides, she is genuinely curious about Catra's life after having not spoken to each other in five years. It doesn't make up for all the time lost, but maybe it's a start?

Catra nods thoughtfully, as if she'd been expecting this question eventually. "Right. Ended up dropping out mid-way junior year. Became a professional drug dealer. Currently in the process of starting a cock-fighting syndicate.  _Not_  as easy as TV shows make it out to be."

Adora chokes on her drink and is immediately rewarded with Catra's guffaws. "Oh! Oh  _man!_  Gullible as ever, huh Adora?"

Narrowing her eyes, Adora grabs a fistful of beverage napkins to wipe her mouth and dab at the bit of dribble that dripped onto her shirt. " _Not_  funny, you  _ass_."

"I can see the stick is still firmly in place up your ass too."

Catra nimbly dodges the swipe that Adora makes towards her, still giggling incessantly as Adora can feel the vein in her forehead pulsing. It's annoying, but there's still something about this whole dynamic that Adora has missed desperately.

"Okay, okay! Fine. Graduated with a BFA, jumped around some minimum wage jobs for some time while doing random illustrating gigs on the side. Then about two years ago I went full-time into doing some freelance work. Happy?"

Adora perks up. "Freelance? What's that like?"

Catra takes a small sip of her drink, nails drumming against wood as she considers the question. "Eh. Depends on the day. Sometimes the jobs can be ridiculous. Sometimes the clients are even  _more_  ridiculous." She shrugs and leans back on her chair. "But it pays the bills well enough, so can't complain too much, I guess."

Adora nods and leans her elbows on the bar. "I heard freelance is where the real money is."

Catra shrugs again. "Like I said, it really depends. Sometimes the job's not that big. And then sometimes I still get assholes who insist I do it for the 'exposure'." She scowls at that, taking another swig of her drink. "As if I didn't deal with enough of that BS in college. Plus, it's not nearly as steady as a contracted job would be."

"Well, at least you're doing something you like." She thinks to her own job - a boring desk job for some company that she's still not entirely sure on what purpose it serves or what exactly it is that they do.

"I mean, I guess. Although, sometimes it's such a pain in the ass I wish I was doing something else. For instance, this job I just finished up? Awful conditions, lackluster pay, and  _way_  too many particulars….But when the well's dried up, you'll drink anything, ya know?" And to punctuate her statement, she knocks back the rest of her drink, switching immediately to her water.

Again, Adora thinks of her current job. One she took on purely because she needed something to pay the bills and expenses of having a child. One she kept because of her lack of other options. "Yeah. I get what you mean."

A silence falls between them and Adora scrambles, trying to think of a way to keep the conversation going. Preferably with the focus  _not_  on her if she could help it. She taps the side of her thumb against the bar, teeth gnawing her lip as she tries (and fails and tries) to think of another question to ask. "Um…"

Catra looks over expectantly which only makes the panic build. "So….what's the worst client you've had so far?"

She blinks, possibly stunned from being asked that particular question. Then she turns her eyes upwards in thought, sucking in one cheek and playing with her water glass. After a few seconds her eyes light up and she turns to Adora with an exasperated grin, eyes alight and shining in the dim room. "Okay, now get this…"

The next few minutes are spent with Catra recounting the array of awful clients she's had, comparing them to customers she'd had to deal with while working retail and other odd minimum wage jobs fresh from college. Each story was accented with Catra's trademark snark, a trait that Adora is sure was the reason she even  _got_  into most of these situations, but still made an entertaining story nonetheless. There are moments where she's doubled over clutching her stomach, laughing at some sassy remark that past Catra had said or some ridiculous request a client had made.

In the midst of their conversation the bartender comes over, taking another drink order for Adora and refilling Catra's water glass when she declines another drink.

"I drove here," she explains at Adora's questioning look.

Adora nods and sucks down her own drink, finishing it off with a satisfied sigh. "Not me," she sang.

"Someone drop you off here?"

Adora gives a half-shrug. "I mean, technically? I called an Uber." Anticipating the next question she continues, "My car is in the shop for a minor repair. I'll be able to pick it up again in a day or two."

"You don't have any friends who could've dropped you off?"

There's something to her tone that Adora can't quite place, but she finds herself getting strangely defensive. "I mean, yeah. Most of them are just busy tonight and I don't really like putting people out. The only one who was free was Glimmer and she's-" Adora cuts herself off, hesitating as she realizes that she's allowed herself to slip yet again. Unfortunately, it's too late because Catra is looking at her expectantly, waiting for the rest of her explanation. "Um...she's already babysitting for me."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Another silence falls, broken only by the synthetic beats of another song over the loudspeakers. This one seems much harder to save and Adora fears that the end of their outing has moved up immensely. She watches Catra fidget in her seat to turn and look out to the dance floor which has filled up significantly since Adora's arrival. Meanwhile, Adora turns and stares at her drink, avoiding any and all potential eye contact.

Why is this so hard? They'd been best friends for the better part of two  _decades_. Even after spending so much time apart, one would think that it wouldn't be  _this_  difficult to pick things back up.

Unless, of course, one of them had, like, a  _kid_  or something. That might throw a wrench into things.

Adora groans internally. She hates that she's making such a huge deal out of this. She hates that she can't be forward with someone who knows her almost as well as she knows herself. But….seriously.  _How_  does someone work having a kid amongst a five-year separation into a conversation flawlessly? Really. She'd love to know.

And then there's Catra's side. What did  _she_  think of all of this? Is it just as awkward for her as it is for Adora? Is there some sort of leftover resentment over how they left things that is being fueled by the fact that she had a kid and never told her? Or does she have some skewed perspective on her now, believing her to be stupid or easy or something to that extent?

Adora chews her lip. If the shoe were on the other foot…

 _Fuck_. She doesn't know! If Catra was the one with some surprise kid, she'd be….well  _surprised_  obviously. But would she think any differently of her best friend? Would she be judgmental?

Adora sighs. Why does any of it really matter? She doesn't have the same viewpoint or thought process as Catra. So whatever her thoughts would be if the situation were reversed doesn't help her to understand what Catra is thinking  _now_.

Spotting her phone, Adora remembers the parting conversation she'd had with Glimmer before leaving the apartment.

" _Look, if things start getting awkward or going wrong, I'll text and let you know. Then you could call me and, I dunno, say something happened with Mara."_

_Glimmer places a hand on one hip. "You mean give you an excuse to leave?"_

" _Exactly."_

" _Adora…" She looks exasperated. "Are you sure that'll even be necessary?"_

 _Adora nods. Glimmer just...doesn't know Catra like she did._ She  _doesn't even know Catra like she once had anymore. Anything is possible at this point. "Absolutely."_

Adora rests her hand over her phone, chewing her lip as she considers using her last resort to get out of the situation. When she gets back home, Glimmer would definitely say that she's overreacting. Honestly, there's a part of Adora that knows that to be true. But it doesn't quell her rapidly beating heart or her shaking hands. And like an animal cornered, Adora's main thought at the moment is to escape before it's too late to.

She brings the phone closer to unlock it, scrolling through her apps to send Glimmer a text when she notices that Catra's eyes are on her again. She hesitates, freezing in place to avoid any sort of awkward confrontation, hoping that Catra will just  _stop looking at her like that_.

"Whoa, wait." Adora's heart falls to her stomach and she braces herself for the impending….whatever. Who knows? It's  _Catra_. "Did you say 'Glimmer'? What kind of name is that?"

Adora blinks. Huh?

Catra leans forward, a mirth dancing in her eyes and a bemused smirk playing the corners of her lips. "Is that actually her name or just some dumb nickname?"

Adora furrows her brow. "It's her actual name."

Catra snickers, hand darting up to try and hold most of it in, but one more look at Adora's unamused stare and she breaks down completely. "Oh  _shit_! Oh, her parents must  _hate_  her!"

"I think it's a pretty name," Adora huffs.

Catra wipes at her eyes. "Well, of course  _you'd_  think so."

Adora rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, leaning forward with a smirk of her own. "Does someone with the name  _Catra_  really have any room to talk?"

The look of offense is immediate and Catra's back goes ramrod straight, all merriment and hilarity flushed down the drain. "Hey!  _Mine_  is a nickname!"

"Oh right. My bad, Miss  _Catari_ -"

"Shut up shut up  _shut up!_ "

Adora laughs and shakes her head. "You are  _such_  a hypocrite."

Catra shrugs and leans back in her chair. "It's a coping mechanism," she sighs but flashes Adora a quick, shit-eating grin.

A much more comfortable silence settles over them this time and when Catra turns to look over the dance floor again, Adora mimics her. The throng of bodies are swarming and squirming drunkenly to the fast-paced music, so high-pitched and overlaid it hardly retains a melody anymore. Even still, most of them are so oblivious or far-gone that they probably don't even notice. They hear sound and they move to it. Sometimes it's that simple.

Adora spins her glass on the bar and looks forlornly over the dancing crowd. When did it stop being so simple?

"Hey." Catra's voice is quiet, so much so that Adora can barely make it out over all the noise. But she still does so she turns to face her, a sinking feeling starting in her chest and slinking its way down to her stomach. As soon as she takes in Catra's features - drawn together in concentration, a certain level of wariness mixed with unbridled curiosity - Adora feels her chest give way and drop completely like a triggered trap door.

Adora swallows and clutches her glass a light tighter. "Yeah?" Her voice is small because she can't bring herself to be any louder.

The next set of seconds is agonizing as she waits for Catra to collect her thoughts. She sees the questions she wants to ask in her eyes, painted across her lips. She struggles to narrow them down, works to reword it again and again and again. Soon enough, it's so much and Adora can feel the stress building to a point that she wishes Catra would just blurt it out, anything to save her from her own mind.

"How old is she?" And then she sighs, shoulders slumped, like that's not the question she had wanted to ask.

But it's an easy start and somehow, Adora's thankful for it. "She just turned four about two months ago."

"Four," she repeats, eyes widening marginally. Then she rolls them upwards, flickering as she does the quick math. "So that means…?" She trails off, glancing warily at Adora, like she's suddenly  _afraid_.

It's comforting. To know they're both unsure how to breach this. It makes her feel less alone.

"Senior year," Adora confirms with a simple nod. She brings her glass closer to her, looking inside and stirring the ice around with her straw. "She was born just after I graduated."

"Fuck," Catra says under her breath, barely audible enough for Adora to catch it. "That...must've sucked  _big time._ "

It had. But it was long enough ago that she'd gotten over it mostly. "Kind of. But I made it out with my degree. Even if it's just collecting dust for the moment." She grimaces and knocks back her drink, bypassing the straw entirely. "But it was still worth it to see the look on everyone's faces who thought I couldn't do it."

Catra laughs then and Adora feels warm (although that might've been the alcohol finally catching up) because it sounds like she's  _proud_. "Yep. You haven't changed a bit."

"I have maternity photos that say otherwise," she jokes cautiously. But when Catra laughs again, Adora feels the tension that had slowly been accumulating release all at once and she wonders why she'd been so scared before.

Once their laughter had died down, Catra takes a sip of her water and dives in with another question. "So, what's up with the dad then?"

The sinking feeling returns, walloping her stomach until it's black and blue. Right.  _That's why_.

Her eyes grow hot and she turns away to bore holes into her own glass, thinking of what to say and how to say it. She doesn't want to talk about this, not really. But she doesn't want to drive Catra away either, not when there was... _something_ , some kind of promise to rectifying and closing the divide that'd come with five years of no contact. In such a short time of talking to each other, anxieties and worries aside, Adora had come to realize just how desperately she'd  _missed_  her.

Despite everything, however, she isn't sure that this is something she's ready to touch on again. Five years wasn't enough to lessen the sting. If she's honest with herself, she doesn't know when it won't hurt anymore.

Luckily (or maybe not so much), Catra seems to notice how torn she is and a look of remorse crosses her features. "Shit. Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Adora waves her off, turning to offer a strained smile. "It's okay. I'm just...it's not something I'm ready to talk about just yet." When Catra only continues to look more and more guilty, she adds on, "I'll tell you one day." A promise. An affirmation.

They both realize at the same time the implications of that simple statement.

_I'm not leaving again._

_I'll be right here._

_As long as you'll have me._

Catra smiles. "Yeah. Whenever you're ready." Then she glances over at Adora's empty glass. "For now, I think it's time to get you home. I don't know what kind of examples you want to set for your kid, but I doubt stumbling in drunk is one of them." She stands up and collects her jacket, throwing it effortlessly over her shoulders and waving for the bartender's attention. When she comes over Catra hands over her card. The bartender looks over at Adora expectantly and she scrambles for her wallet when Catra holds up a hand.

"I've got both tabs."

Adora's eyebrows raise before she frowns. "Catra I-"

"Can pay next time," she cuts in. Adora wants to argue further, but the bartender has already walked off with just Catra's card in hand, so she settles for glowering.

"Asshole."

"Is that how you thank someone who just picked up your bill?"

"I didn't  _ask_  you to!"

Catra only shrugs again and Adora knows that even if she tries to press it further, it'll only fall on deaf ears. So she resigns herself to accepting the gesture with the determination to make absolutely sure that Catra doesn't pull this on her again the next time they meet.

Instead of wasting her breath and energy, Adora pulls out her phone and opens up the Uber app, scanning for cars in the area to take her home. However, just before she can select one, her phone is yanked from her hands. She looks up in utter surprise, finding Catra switching off her screen and dangling it above her head.

"No Ubers."

Adora frowns and snatches back her phone. "Do you expect me to  _walk_  home?"

"As amusing as that sounds, I think giving you a ride might be easier." The bartender returns with Catra's card and after signing the receipt, she tucks it away and turns away from the bar.

Again with the chivalry. Flashes of memories from high school bombard her: the time that Catra ate half of Adora's lunch on top of her own that Adora paid for; the time they'd been biking home and Catra ran her into some trash cans before speeding off down the street, laughter growing distant as Adora picked herself up and dusted herself off; the  _numerous_  times Adora would get up from her seat briefly only to come back to find Catra sprawled out across it, resulting in a wrestling match on the floor (that Adora  _always_  won).

Something isn't adding up somehow.

Maybe….maybe Catra's grown more than she had given her credit for.

They walk out to the parking lot and there, on the edge, Catra picks up a couple of helmets off her motorcycle, offering one out to her.

Adora smirks and takes it, weighing it carefully in her hands and turning it over to inspect it. Then again...maybe not so much. "Why am I not surprised?"

Catra had already slipped on her own helmet and is now helping Adora adjust her own. "Why should you be? I only talked about getting my motorcycle license all of high school."

"And here I was, thinking you'd actually grown up a little."

Catra scoffs and rolls her eyes before swinging her leg around to straddle the bike. "Growing up is overrated."

Adora climbs on after her, looking down and carefully planting her feet on the footholds so they won't slip while they are moving. She hesitates, a split second but Catra looks like she  _definitely_  noticed, before she places her hands on Catra's hips, fingers curling around her belt loops for a firmer hold.

"We all have to at some point."

"Says who?" She starts up the ignition and Adora's a little ashamed to admit that she jumped a little when it roared to life.

"Life." She's a little more familiar with the notion of growing up. She'd had to do it a bit sooner than most of her peers.

"Yeah, well," Catra knocks back the kickstand and rolls the bike out of her parking spot. "Life can suck my dick." And Adora can't help the laugh bubbling up at the pure immaturity of the statement, a great testament to Catra's beliefs and values. It's something she wishes she still had the ability to do. To be so carefree in a world that was so harsh and demanding.

But then she remembers the little girl waiting for her at home, hopefully tucked into bed by this time of night. And how, despite the frustrations of parenthood, how that little girl had gotten her through thick and thin, trials and turmoils, her smiles brightening her bleakest days and her purity giving her the ability to feel something warm in a world so cold. To have someone love her so unconditionally, to be someone's  _world_ …

Adora would grow up endlessly to see her happy.

She snaps back to present-time when Catra turns to look over her shoulder at her. "You might want to hang on a bit tighter than that. I've been told I can be a bit of a reckless driver."

"Please don't orphan my child." But she obliges anyway, leaning forward so that she's pressed closer to Catra, arms wrapping loosely around her midsection.

"Now might be a good time to deem me the godmother then." She revs the engine, hesitating only to ask for Adora's address. After receiving it ("That's actually only ten minutes away from my place."), they're peeling out of the parking lot, flying through the streets with the night life passing them by.

* * *

Adora turns her key slowly, hoping to make as little noise as she can before creeping the door open enough for her to enter the apartment. Most of the lights are out save for one of the lamps in the living room where Glimmer's sitting on her couch, watching TV at a near silent volume. Her friend perks up upon her entrance and gives her a quick once over. Adora frantically pats down her hair, still messy from the helmet and the motorcycle ride.

"So how'd it go?" There isn't any weight to the question.

Adora shrugs and hangs up her keys on the nail by the door. "It was fine." When Glimmer doesn't respond, clearly waiting for some kind of elaboration, Adora sighs and pads into the living room, dropping down onto the couch.

"How long has she been asleep?"

"I put her to bed about two and a half hours ago." Then she quirks an eyebrow. Still waiting.

Adora chews on the inside of her cheek and actively avoids acknowledging Glimmer's gaze. "We're meeting again next Friday."

In the next few seconds, Adora's smothering Glimmer's  _stupid_  smug grin and boastful  _I told you so_ 's with a pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a bit longer! I got crazy busy with school because I kept getting sick and missing class/having to make up work. And then once I'd gotten mostly caught up I got sick again and fell behind again.
> 
> It's been a vicious cycle.
> 
> I hope the length of this chapter makes up for the wait though. Almost quadruple the word count of last chapter. (Which still isn't terribly long but ya know...)A
> 
> I won't make any solid promises on when chapter 3 will be coming out because I'm a month away from finals and this is when everything happens so much so I'll just try my best to crunch it out soon! Who knows? Maybe I'll go into a writing fever during an all-nighter and have it out for y'all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra is in desperate need of A/C, Scorpia is her normal cheery self and Entrapta's.....well, yeah.
> 
> Also Catra (apparently) likes kids? More research needed.

Catra drops the box she's carrying onto the ground in the front hallway before heaving out a long-winded sigh. She pulls the bottom of her shirt up to her forehead and wipes away the sweat accumulating on her forehead, groaning in despair at the heat prickling her skin.

" _Please_  tell me you didn't get an apartment with busted A/C or I'll fling myself down the stairs." All twelve flights.

There's the sound of rummaging around from the door cut into the wall to her left and Catra leans against the opposite wall, eyes fluttering at the semi-coolness it impresses upon her bare shoulders and arms. "Uhhh, no! I don't think so." The sounds of more rummaging and a heavy thud hitting linoleum. Then, within the next few seconds of silence, Scorpia peeks her head out with a smile - so brilliant and appreciative that it makes Catra squirm a little. "It….should work. Just haven't had much time to fiddle with it yet."

A flash of purple catches both of their attentions, heading for the thermostat mounted on the wall adjacent to the open concept kitchen. Catra pipes up first. "Entrapta,  _no_."

"But I could-"

"Back. Away. From the. Thermostat.  _Now_."

Shoulders slumped and hair limp in total dejection, Entrapta swivels and turns back to whatever hole she'd crawled from and both Catra and Scorpia heave a shared sigh of relief. Then Catra pushes herself from off the wall, the coolness of it having lost its freshness, and gently kicks the box she'd dropped on the floor until it's pressed up against a wall.

"Whatever. We'll figure it out later. I think there's only a few more things left in the truck so we'll just finish that up first."

She's barely two steps out the door when she halts to swivel around on her heel, eyes narrowed dangerously. " _Entrapta leave the thermostat alone!"_

A purple blur darts into the kitchen again out of sight and after a few seconds of waiting to make sure that Entrapta stays put, Catra walks out of the apartment, leaving the door open. The summer heat sucker punches her lungs and drenches her in sweat before she's even down the hallway. How the outside heat has managed to seep its way into the building, Catra doesn't know but she somehow wishes there's a singular person responsible so she can gouge out their eyes.

You know.  _Politely._

Considering that she's the only one carrying up boxes at this point (Scorpia insisted the rest were pretty light and Catra, for once, didn't feel like arguing), she makes pretty decent time in emptying out the moving truck. By the time she's brought up the last box, Entrapta has moved from the kitchen to the living room, half-submerged in one of the larger cardboard boxes, intensely searching its contents. Deciding that is a sleeping beast she'd rather not prod, she turns into the kitchen and beelines for the faucet.

Unsurprisingly, Entrapta hadn't actually unpacked any of the dishes or kitchenware yet (so what she was doing in there earlier was anybody's guess really). But that does little to deter Catra - she turns on the running water and cups her hands underneath the stream, letting it collect just enough to bring to her mouth and drink what doesn't spill through the cracks of her fingers. After repeating this process a couple of times, she splashes some into her face, not even caring that a little bit soaks into her curls. When she's finished, Scorpia emerges from their laundry-storage room, holding a box labeled "KITCHEN".

"This one got misplaced," she explains, setting it down on the counter. She uses the end of her hooked prosthetic to cut into the tape sealing it shut and procures a plastic cup from within.

Catra stares at it blankly as she wipes her hands on her jean shorts. "Right. Of course."

She takes the cup from Scorpia's outstretched hand and runs the faucet again, filling it about halfway before gulping more water down. Only when she's finished does she sigh and lean against the counter, drumming her nails against the cheap plastic counter and looking around the apartment.

It's small, but bigger it appeared in all the pictures Scorpia had sent her. A cozy fit for three people, for sure, but probably just right enough for two. She has a perfect vantage point of the living room from where she was leaning, the large double windows staring back at her and beyond that a neighboring apartment building.

The new apartment was hardly an improvement from their last one. Same size, basically the same price, only a different location further into the city. But Catra didn't comment on it. She knew the months of stressful searching that Scorpia endured to find this place and didn't want to mock all that time and effort. Scorpia claimed it was to be closer to Entrapta's job for a shorter commute. But Catra had the sneaking suspicion it had something more to do with their last landlord finding out about Entrapta's home-based experiments.

Instead Catra clicks her tongue as she assesses the wall to her right, particularly eyeing a large spot of white spackled to cover up damages - a rushed job. "Well, arguably better than the last dump you were at."

Scorpia beams at her and reaches into the box again, pulling out another plastic cup where the decorative paint is fading, but Catra can still make out the broken image of some TV show character on the side. "It's in such a nice neighborhood, too! We're only a couple blocks away from the park, you know, the one where I like to go and draw at on some weekend afternoons? I've been looking at places around here for awhile but a lot of buildings around here have been changing management so often that most of my other applications kept falling through. I've already talked to some of the people in this building though! Although, most of them seemed to be pretty busy when I saw them so I was only able to ask them a few questions but they seemed very nice! And they allow pets! At least, I  _think_  they do. I don't remember the application or website saying anything about not allowing them, but I've  _definitely_ heard some dogs around here so I think it's safe to say they do."

Catra cast a wary glance over to Entrapta, now practically hanging on the edge of the cardboard box which really shouldn't have been able to support her weight, and clicked her tongue again. Right. A dog and Entrapta?

Scorpia catches onto her drift immediately. "Oh no! Not for us, although I'd  _love_  to adopt a little Yorkie or Shih Tzu! Maybe a Pomeranian? I've also heard that Labs are really friendly and they're so  _cute_  and smart and….um, wait...Right! I just like seeing them around the building. They're so adorable, ya know?"

Catra scrunches her nose and hops up on the counter. "I guess. Never really been much of-"

"A dog person, right, I know. But I think I've seen some cats around here somewhere too! I think a cat would be-"

"A pet person," Catra cuts in, shutting down Scorpia's train of thought before she can finish it. "Never been one for pets really." She leans over to the faucet again and fills up her cup again, taking a small sip.

Scorpia pouts. "But they're companions for life!"

Catra scoffs at that. "Life? More like a few years before they get lost or die of old age…." But when she notices Scorpia's rapidly falling expression, she clears her throat and kicks her feet. "But yeah. I guess they're kinda cute or whatever. But they're too much work for me." She lifts her cup to her lips, giving the conversation enough pause to hopefully let Scorpia become distracted with something else.

She doesn't have to because Entrapta finally emerges from the cardboard box in the living room, hair slightly disheveled and hand triumphantly clutching some...weird techno-gizmo Frankenstein abomination. "But you seem fine with kids and from what I've heard and read, they're just as much work if not  _more_. Although, from what I understand, kids and pets aren't really that different in terms of feeding, care, stimulation-"

Catra barely hears any of Entrapta's babble, however, because she's too busy recovering from choking on her water. Gasping for breath and eyes bulging, she rasps out, "I'm sorry,  _what_?"

"Well in the most basic aspects, kids and pets are actually very similar when you take into account-"

"No no no." Catra shakes her head and rubs the ache in her chest. "What's this about me being fine with kids? When the hell did I ever say that?"

Entrapta is barely paying her any mind at this point, already fiddling with the contraption in her hands. She's deep enough in it that Catra has to repeat her question with a little more force, but even then Entrapta only gives a half-hearted shrug. "You didn't," she says simply and when she doesn't immediately follow up with an explanation, Catra gets ready to say something, but then she twists something on the device and it lets loose a screeching alarm and they all flinch simultaneously. Catra raises her hands to her ears and Scorpia hunches her shoulders in pain. Mostly unperturbed, Entrapta nonchalantly pulls a screwdriver from her ponytail and messes with the device a little, before the noise finally stops.

Before anyone can make a comment or Catra can grit out some sort of annoyed response about what just happened, Entrapta continues where she had left off. "But you are in the process of talking to Adora again and she has a kid. So given both of those factors as well as previous evidence of your feelings for her, I've concluded that you are, on some level, fine with kids." She finally looks up from her device and tucks the screwdriver back into her hair. "Am I wrong?"

There's a moment where Catra struggles to process the absolute crazy ass-backwards turn this conversation has taken. Mentally she's sputtering for some kind of response,  _trying_ to come up with something snarky to deflect or derail the road she's fearing this is about to go down. Instead, she barely manages to stammer out, "I...what... _how_  do you know Adora has a kid?" She looks to Scorpia and when she sees the girl's eyebrows raise in surprise before a shine falls over her eyes, she knows that was the  _wrong_ thing to say.

Deny everything. She should've denied  _everything_.

But...they would've found out eventually so what good would that have done? And clearly Entrapta already  _knew_  so lying about it wouldn't have really helped her out any regardless.

"Adora has a kid?"

Entrapta tucks her device into the front pocket of her overalls and pulls out her phone. Even though Scorpia's question was directed at Catra - who was now hunched up on the counter trying to make herself as small as possible - she takes the liberty of answering herself. "Of course. It's all over her social media."

"How are  _you_  Adora's friend on any social media?"

"I'm not."

A pause. Both women in the kitchen are struggling to process what's going on; Scorpia surely trying to come to terms with the fact that Catra has clearly been withholding information about her recent reconnection with her age-old best friend while Catra is trying her damnedest not to explode, something already increasingly impossible in the heat of the apartment. Then…

"Entrapta! Have you been hacking people's profiles again?"

Entrapta shakes her head vehemently, but is too busy scrolling through her phone to look up at Scorpia's decidedly disappointed expression. At least, Catra's sure that's what the older woman is trying to shoot for. Negative emotions aren't really something the big softie wears well.

"It doesn't really constitute as hacking, I think, unless-"

"Yes it does!" both her and Scorpia shout in unison.

Entrapta sighs. "I prefer to label it more as utilizing an already defunct security system to bypass a flimsy network to-"

"That's  _hacking_ , Entrapta!" Catra interjects. "And it's a total invasion of Adora's and  _my_  privacy."

"I didn't gain access to your account, though."

Catra rolls her eyes upwards and runs her hand through her hair, pulling out a few strands in her frustration. "It's still my life, Entrapta! You had no right! And if Adora finds out somehow, she'll be pissed and I'll have to start all over again or…" She shakes her head and sighs, deflating instantly. Lethargic from the heat and shock from the situation, she quickly realizes she actually doesn't have the heart to yell at her friend. "Please just tell me you didn't do anything too bad."

The following silence isn't comforting. Catra slowly raises her head, dread weighing like sandbags in her heart, but she freezes when she sees that Entrapta is now leaning over the opposite counter, phone outstretched for both her and Scorpia to see. On the screen is Adora's social media page - Facebook apparently. But more compelling is the image displayed fully on the screen depicting a very haggard-looking Adora donned in a paper hospital gown printed with lame, desaturated flowers. Her hair is a mess and sweat-soaked to her forehead, eyes sunken with ten-pound bags underlining them. Regardless her eyes are bright and full of warmth and shining with life. A brilliant grin is nearly splitting her face in two, as full of resilience and shine as her eyes.

And a little further down, cradled in her arms is a tiny bundle of blankets. From within those blankets emerges a tiny flushed and rounded face, twisted in the discomfort of new surroundings and sensations, clearly unhappy to be there.

"Isn't it just so cute?" Entrapta trills.

Catra gulps, eyes glued on the screen until Scorpia snatches it from Entrapta's hand to gain a closer look. All traces of disappointment and exasperation have vanished from her demeanor - not that they had that strong of a hold to begin with - and is now replaced by a pure, unbridled awe as she's entirely captivated by the photo. "Ohhh, she's so cute! Is this her? What's her name? I still can't believe that Adora has a kid!" Then she looks up at Catra and she nearly flinches at the look of absolute adoration emanating from her. "Catra why didn't you tell us?"

Catra swallows and licks her bottom lip. "I…" Because she  _knew_  this would happen. She knew she would be bombarded with questions, some she isn't ready to answer, some she doesn't know  _how_  to answer. This is all new for her too, and she's still trying her best to process it as best she could while trying to rebuild decades of friendship lost in barely half that time. And having to work through all of that  _and_  sate both Scorpia and Entrapta's unbearable curiosity…

"I didn't think it was my place to tell," she offers lamely instead.

That sobers Scorpia immediately and she hands off the phone back to Entrapta before taking a step towards Catra. "Oh gee, sorry, Wildcat. I didn't mean...if you don't want to talk about it anymore we can go back to unpacking and maybe when Entrapta gets the TV set up we can binge that new show I've been telling you about. You know, the one I've been trying to get you to watch for awhile now? The new season is supposed to come out in a couple more weeks which is just enough time to catch you up on the other five seasons-"

Catra holds a hand up and Scorpia halts immediately. "No. It's cool, it's fine, I...you already know so I guess we could talk about it or whatever." She sighs. "But I don't know a lot either so there's not really a lot I can tell you."

That cheers her up immediately and, as if her mood had never taken a dip at all, Scorpia dives back into her questions immediately. "What's her name? How old is she now?"

"Mara." She chews on her thumbnail. "And she just turned four."

It takes everything within Scorpia not to melt on the spot then and there. "Four! Oh gosh! She's probably even cuter now,  _oh_  toddlers are so adorable! Have you met her?"

"Er, once, yeah. The first time I bumped into Adora actually, at the grocery store."

Scorpia nods. "Yeah, yeah! Is she as cute as I think she is? Does she look like Adora?"

A flash of an image of Mara's scrunched nose flitters about in her mind. "Yeah, she does actually."

And of course, Entrapta chooses that moment to chime in with her own question, devoid of any and all tact. "Do you know who the father is?"

Catra noticeably tenses and Scorpia looks worried for half a second before Catra completely shrugs it off, playing it coolly. "Adora hasn't told me that yet."

Scorpia seems ready enough to accept that at face-value, but Entrapta chimes in again, with arguably less tact than before. "Does Adora know who the father is?"

Catra trips over her words for a second before hurriedly collecting herself. "Wh-Yes! I'm sure she does! What kind of-"

"Well I was asking because it's really not all that uncommon for the identity of the father to be unknown in these-"

"Look," Catra jumps in and her tone causes both women to snap to attention. "The father thing is...touchy. Adora doesn't want to tell me right now. I'm respecting her decision and so should the two of  _you_ ," she says, adding emphasis by looking pointedly at Entrapta.

Entrapta looks ready to say something else but Scorpia cuts her off. "Right! That's only fair! It's her business after all and if she doesn't want to share that info right now that's her right!" She smiles at Catra. "Still, it's so amazing knowing she has a kid and I haven't even  _met_  her! You're her best friend, Catra. How do you feel about the whole thing?"

Betrayed. Confused. Hurt.

All those years they'd been best friends, shared their innermost thoughts and secrets, told each other everything and anything...and Catra finds out four years late that Adora has a child. When they were younger, Catra was the first to know everything about Adora: what she scored on tests, the clothes she bought at the mall, when Adora first realized she was bi...she was always number one on Adora's mind.

So one would think that Catra would've known about Adora getting pregnant and having a kid long before now, right?

But when she takes a minute to think about it, she realizes it's not that simple. They'd been having problems in their friendship long before this happened and it was a lack of effort on both their parts that led to them not speaking anymore. It wasn't that strange that Adora hadn't told her about this, but some reason it still hurt on some subdermal level that Catra couldn't reach, no matter how hard she scratched or deep she dived. After all, wouldn't something this big have broken their pact of silence? Shouldn't Adora have reached out and divulged everything, regardless of where their friendship stood?

Catra chews on her nails. Or maybe that's exactly why she hadn't said anything.

"I don't know," she says finally. "I'm still figuring that part out."

Scorpia nods in understanding which irks Catra a little because it makes her feel vulnerable and easy-to-read. But it's difficult to stay annoyed when Scorpia offers a smile. "Well, I'm sure you will, Wildcat. Always were a sharp one, I've said." She then begins rifling through the cardboard box in front of her and Catra takes that as a sign of the conversation ending. Though she's only just leapt off the counter to start rummaging through another box that she hears Scorpia exclaim loudly.

"Oh! Hey, so you know that Entrapta and I are planning on having a housewarming party-" They both ignore the way Entrapta perks up and tilts her head with a surprised "We are?" - "and I think that would be a  _great_  opportunity for us to officially meet Adora and her little munchkin! You should invite them." Her hands are clutched tightly to her chest, eyes full of brilliant optimism.

It almost pains Catra when she shuts her down with a hard, "No."

"Wh...why not?"

"Because," she sighs and throws both hands into the box she's rifling through, anything to avoid Scorpia's kicked puppy eyes. "We've only just started talking again and I wanna see where this goes before I fully let her back into my life. If I start introducing her to my friends who knows what kind of ideas that'll put into her thick skull?"

"Catra…"

"I said  _no_ , Scorpia. You're not talking me into this one."

 _Click_. "New analysis entry: Subject appears to be scared of fully reconnecting with past friend. Multiple theories as to the reason behind this observation. Note to self: skim through previous social media posts dating back to the earlier years of their friendship to gather data on the nature of said friendship."

"Entrapta!"

The recorder clicks off and Entrapta stares at her, blatantly unaware. "What?"

Catra grits her teeth and clenches her fists, the pliable material of the cardboard denting beneath her nails. "My social life is not fodder for one of your experiments! Cut the crap!"

"But the dynamics are so interesting-"

"I don't care! Stay out of it!" She huffs and begins to rip things out of the box, plunking them onto the kitchen counter with more force than necessary.

Luckily, Scorpia is there to dispel the tension. "Hooooow aboooout we put on some music and have a fun little party while we unpack? No more talking or...experiments. Just emptying boxes while singing to fun songs!" Even though neither girl answers, Scorpia claps her hands together, taking it as permission to enact her suggestion and pulls out her phone, fiddling for a few seconds before selecting a playlist. Soon enough the apartment is filled with some dated, upbeat 80s music that has Scorpia swaying happily, Entrapta hushed, and Catra not  _as_  annoyed.

A couple songs pass by and Catra's moving on to the next box when Scorpia steps closer, keeping her voice low so that Entrapta can't hear from her position across the apartment. "Will you at least think about what I said?"

"Scorpia I  _told_  you-"

"I know, I know." She holds her hands up in a surrendering gesture. "But will you at least  _think_  about it? For me?"

Years ago Catra would've snapped and stormed out of the apartment. She would've sulked back to her apartment and stewed over the clear overstep for days, ignoring all attempts at contact from Scorpia in pure spite until she'd calmed down enough to finally relent without apology, both women silently agreeing to never bring up the topic again.

But standing here now, under Scorpia's soft gaze, with sweat dripping down her neck and mind fuzzy from the heat, she feels too exhausted. And somewhere along the way, maybe she's changed.

"Alright. Fine. I'll  _think_  about it. But don't get your hopes up." Using the back of her hand, she wipes some sweat from her brow. "Now let's see if we can figure out that A/C situation. I'm melting."

Scorpia's smile is enough to burn her to a crisp.

* * *

Later that night, when she's messing around on her phone, her thumb mindlessly wanders over to her messaging app. The message is typed out and sent before she allows herself to feel any sort of remorse.

**12:03 AM**

**Catra: Hey Trapta. Can I get that photo you showed us earlier?**

**Entrapta: [File sent]**

**Entrapta: I have others. Do you want those too?**

Catra scoffs and rolls her eyes, downloading the photo.

**12:06 AM**

**Catra: Nah. And stop hacking people's profiles**

**Catra: It's weird**

**Entrapta: It's SCIENCE**

**Catra: Same difference**

Opening the photo, she finds herself staring at it for a few seconds. Then, without much thought or time enough to reconsider, she flips back to the messaging app and types out a short message with the file attached.

**12:15 AM**

**Catra: [File sent]**

**Catra: Man you look like SHIT**

**Adora: Catra what the HELL**

Catra laughs, only mildly surprised that Adora is still up at this hour.

**12:19 AM**

**Catra: Relax. I stopped Entrapta from going too far**

**Adora: Catra this is a photo from four years ago!**

**Catra: And trust me, she wanted to keep going**

**Catra: And in her defense, you aren't very active on Facebook**

**Adora: How did she even get this?**

**Catra: You probably don't wanna know**

**Adora: ohmygod**

**Catra: Chill Princess. Entrapta's a super computer genius or whatever**

**Catra: No ordinary moron could manage what she does**

**12:27 AM**

**Adora: She's not the only computer genius out there**

**Catra: Yeah but she's the only one with a motive**

**Adora: And what's that?**

**Catra: Dude if I understood even half the things that go on**

**in her head I'd probably have to jump off the tallest**

**building I could find**

**Catra: Anyways, you free this Friday?**

**Adora: I have to do this thing for my dad actually**

**Adora: But I'm free this Saturday**

**Adora: Why?**

**Catra: Because from what I recall, drinks are on you**

**this time**

**Adora: Okay. Text me a time and place tomorrow**

**Catra: [Location sent]**

**Adora: Catra that's a STRIP CLUB**

**Catra: Geez. Motherhood really has changed you**

**Adora: Fine. Pay for your own drinks**

**Catra: Fine fine damn. When'd you stop being fun?**

**Catra: I'll find somewhere more appropriate XP**

**12:41 AM**

**Catra: [Location sent]**

**Adora: Now was that so hard?**

**Catra: Not as hard as my dick**

**Adora: And just when I was beginning to think**

**you'd grown up a little...**

**Catra: Where's the fun in that?**

**Catra: Anyway, see ya Saturday**

**Adora: If you're good**

**Catra: I'm ALWAYS good**

**Adora: Uh huh. Sure**

**12:52 AM**

**Adora: And stay off my Facebook**

**Catra: That was Entrapta**

**Adora: Her too**

Catra turns off her phone and plugs it into her charger. Tucking herself into bed, she lays there for a couple minutes, unable to sleep with a myriad of thoughts racing through her head. Against her better judgement, she unlocks her phone and opens up the photo Entrapta sent her one more time, tracing Adora's tired features. The soft glow of mid-day sun illuminates her profile, swathing her in its light and illuminating her more defining features that Catra knew like the back of her hand.

And then her eyes drop briefly down to the flushed face peeking out from the bundle of blankets and something deep within stirs. Something she can't name.

She shuts off her phone and buries herself underneath her comforter, turning away from her phone entirely.

Something she doesn't want to name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah jeez it's been awhile. Sorry about that. Once I finished up finals from last semester I went straight into working and prepping for my study abroad trip to Japan. And then once I got back I've just been too tired to do much of anything really.
> 
> But finally! Chapter 3! And just in time for us all to be crushed by season 3. So here's some fluff content to mend our hearts : ))))

**Author's Note:**

> Like my writing? Check out more @ technoskittles.tumblr.com/tagged/ash-writes


End file.
